Happy Halloween, Oiche Samhain, Day of the Dead

Trick or Treat? Weren't costumes we made ourselves much more eerie and wonderful than contempory shop bought Superman and Dracula outfits? A sheet with two holes for the eyes was a much used last minute ghost costume in my childhood - go on, you'll be grand, of course you look scary! Glad there's no photographic evidence:) On second thoughts, maybe they're better to look back upon than actually wear!

These old photographs of children in homemade Halloween costumes came from a site called Babble: Here . The images there would also make great writing prompts.

Completely unrelated, and not at all spooky - Stinging Fly Literary Magazine have changed their submission guidelines....

So happy trick/treating/writing/submitting!

The Galway Review Wants You

Here's a call for submission from The Galway Review for their print anthology coming out in January 2013. This printed and bound work will be the  first print venture for The Galway Review -

To submit simply send poems, reviews, short stories, or journals tothegalwayreview@gmail.com with ‘Anthology Submission’ in the subject field. Please send your writings within the body of the email and attach the photographs as jpegs. We can’t wait to see your work! Please keep your submissions clear and sharp. 

Remember  that:

• readers who lack your particular background, may need a simple and clear context;
• the writings ought to make sense to readers anywhere in the world, not just to your own self.

If you want to bounce an idea off the editor before you write it up, then please do. Just get in touch, we at The Galway Review would be happy to help! 

Our deadline is December 1st 2012 – that gives you loads of time.

By supporting The Galway Review you are supporting creativity. We provide a platform for showcasing incredibly talented writers and photographers in Galway.

Where to send your writing...

I enjoyed one of the nicest evenings I've had in a long time, reading at Alice's Restaurant in Naas last week, its such a magical space and the audience were warm and friendly. I read my story The Everyday Woman, three extracts from The Herbalist and poetry. Preparing your work for a public reading is a great way to see if its flowing, a great way to edit. I'm polishing the final draft of The Herbalist and am hoarse from reading the whole book out loud, for me, there's no other way to see if something works. Anyway! I met some fellow writers afterwards, who were asking where to send their poems, so....

• For Irish Literary Magazines click Here
• For a Worldwide Magazines try Duptrope.

&

• The Irish Writers Centre list of magazines and journals here
• Poetry Ireland on getting published, here
• And  Writing.ie provide a list of literary agents, here
• And for Short Story competitions/journals try Thresholds

Also....

New Irish Writing accept submissions all year round -

Stories should not exceed 2,000 words. Up to six poems may be submitted. There is no entry fee.
Entries (with stamped addressed envelope) to Ciaran Carty, New Irish Writing, The Irish Independent 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, along with name, phone number and email address (where available).
Stories and poems may also be emailed to newirishwriting@independent.ie

And good luck:)

Leaves Literary Festival

 

Run by Laois County Council Arts Office this years festival includes readings, classes in creative writing, book launches, children’s events and music.

I haven't been able to blog much lately as I'm editing, editing, editing... you should see the state of my kitchen!  I'll be back in action soon, in the meantime I'm facilitating a day long workshop in Portlaoise as part of this autumn literary festival. The idea behind the workshop is to use one of your poems to inspire further poems, or even a series of poems. Complete beginners are completely welcome. 

Friday 9th November

Official launch: Áras an Chontae at 7.30pm.

Launching poetry collections by Ann Egan, Kathy D’Arcy, Jamie O’Connell and Pat Boran.

Chaired by James Ryan chairing the readings.  Music from Conal Rae.

Poems Beget Poems Workshop:

10am to 4pm @ Dunamaise Arts Centre: 40 Euro

By Hennessy award winner Niamh Boyce. This workshop would suit writers who have begun to write poetry and would like to explore it further, participants must bring one of their own poems to work with, its doesnt have to be complete or perfect, just one that has more to give.

 

Saturday 10th November

Seasons Of The Heart workshop:

10am to 4pm @ Dunamaise Arts Centre: 40 Euro

John MacKenna will hold a workshop exploring the ways in which we can draw on nature and our own life experiences to create fiction and memoir. 

Readings and Music

8pm @ Arthouse & Library, Stradbally: 12/10 Euro.

An exciting mix of readings and music featuring Christine Dwyer Hickey, Niamh Boyce and Nuala Ní Chonchúir, chaired by Seamus Hosey, with music by  harpist Claire O Donnell.

Bookings for all events can be made at the Dunamaise Arts Centre Tel:  057 8663355. www.dunamaise.ie

Finding Penelope

Finding Penelope, a new novel by writer James Lawless will be launched in Hodges Figgis, Dawson Street on Tues. Oct. 30 at 6.30 pm.

" I thought ‘Finding Penelope’ was brilliant. I loved the heroine, Penelope Eames, a modestly successful romantic writer who is a sort of everywoman of our times and a wonderful mix of insight, diffidence and foolishness. I also relished the milieu in which Finding Penelope is set, the expatriate Anglophone world of the Spanish Mediterranean, where lonely English widows and gangsters and Irish novelists and aspiring starlets all get jumbled up together and make a fine old mess of their lives in the process. This is a really, really fine piece of sharp, precise and accurate work. A novel that will give deep, literary pleasure." Carlo Gébler, author



THE BOOK
33 year old romance novelist Penelope Eames moves to Spain to avoid her oppressive father and drug-addicted brother, Dermot. When she meets Ramón, a young Spanish school teacher, she is immediately attracted to him and feels the happiness that eluded her all her life may at last be hers. However, she receives a distress call from Dermot saying he is at the mercy of Charlie Eliot, a pimp and drug dealer on the Costa. Ramón, whose mother was killed by a drug addict, tells her to have nothing to do with Charlie Eliot. Penelope must decide: is she prepared to compromise herself with Charlie Eliot and jeopardise her chance of happiness with Ramón for the sake of her drug addicted brother?


THE AUTHOR
James Lawless was born in Dublin. His first novel Peeling Oranges (2007), a paternal quest set in the Liberties of Dublin and Franco’s Spain, was highly praised by Gabriel Byrne, the Hollywood actor and cultural ambassador. Lawless is the author of two other well-received novels For Love of Anna (2009) and The Avenue (2010), and an acclaimed study of modern poetry Clearing The Tangled Wood. Kildare, Ireland, and is a full-time writer

At Alice's Restaurant...

I'll be reading some poems, extracts from The Herbalist,and maybe even a story, at a fringe event of The Kildare Readers Festival. The readings will be interspersed with music and songs from the floor. And all this is happening at Alice's Restaurant in Naas. Home made refreshments will be served prior to the event. Many thanks to the Kildare Readers Festival and Bean an Ti Eileen for inviting me! All are welcome:)

Date: Thursday 11th October
Time: 20.00
Venue: Alice's Restaurant, Moat Mall, Naas.

Admission: Free but  booking is essential. 

To Book: www.riverbank.ie or box office 045 448327 or email: krf@kildarecoco.ie

The Kildare Readers Festival has an amazing line up as usual, including writers such as Ann Egan, Colin Bateman, Colm Liddy, Martina Reilly, Paul Howard, Joseph O Connor, Dermot Bolger and Paul Durcan. And all events are free as air:)

Here's a wonderful clip of the uber wonderful
 Maria Doyle Kennedy in Alice's Restaurant...